Bottle-sealing apparatus.



No. 808,536. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905.

G. H. GILLETTE.

BOTTLE SEALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11, 1901. RENEWED SEPT. 1, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H6. 2, Hi g WITNESSES:

No. 808,536. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905.

, G. H. GILLETTE BOTTLE SEALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.11, 1901. RENEWED QEPT. 1, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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INVENTOR:

UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. GILLETTE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO' THE CROWN- CORK ANDSEAL CO. OF BALTIMORE CITY, OF BALTIMORE, MARY- LAND, A CORPORATION OFMARYLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application filed November 11, 1901. Renewed September 1, 1904. SerialNo. 223,000.

To all w/mnt it Uta/y concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. GILLETTE, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Sealing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention aims to provide an improved apparatus adapted for thesealing of bottles by means of metallic caps. In this style of seal acap is usually pressed down upon the head of a bottle and whileheld downby considerable pressure a projection, formed by crimping the flange ofthe cap, is forced under a shoulder on the head of the bottle, so as tohold the cap down in the position to which it is pressed. My inventionprovides certain improvements whereby the operation for fas tening thecap in place is simplified, whereby there is very little danger ofbreakage of the head of the bottle, and whereby various other advantagesare obtained, as hereinafter specified in detail.

My invention is adapted for use in either a foot-machine or apower-machine of any common or suitable type.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, illustrating embodiments of myinvention, Figure 1 shows the same applied to a foot-machine. Fig. 2 isa section through what is called the head of the machine. Fig. 3 is anenlarged detail of the parts in the lower portion of the head, showingsome slight modifications in detail. Fig. 4 shows the head of a bottlewith a cap applied accord ing to the manner of operation of mymachine.Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a power-machine containing individualsealing heads constructed according to my invention. Fig. 6 is anenlarged section of one of the heads used in the machine of Fig. 5.Figs. 7 and 8 are similar views showing the parts in differentpositions. Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing a modifieddetail.

In my apparatus the crimps are formed at one operation while the cap isheld down with the desired pressure and in the desired position on thehead of the bottle. The crimp ing is preferably accomplished by means ofa series of crimping members, such as jaws, pins, or the like, which areheld in a position surrounding the flange on the cap while the cap ispressed down on the head of a bottle, and which are then forced inwardto indent the edge of the flange at separate points, so as to crimp it,the indentations engaging under the shoulder on the head of the bottle.Before the positive movement of the apparatus to crimp the flange thecrimping members are preferably arranged to bear against the flange witha yielding pressure to hold the same in place. For this purpose Ipreferably use a cap with a substantially cylindrical flange, so thatwhen the bottle is sealed it presents a neater appearance than theflaring flanges now in use. While it projects very little beyond thecontour from the bottlehead, the projection is quite sufficient forengagement by the usual unsealing-tool.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the head of the apparatus,comprising as a whole all the operating parts except that which movesthe head itself. Any suitable means maybe provided for giving the head areciprocating vertical motion down upon the cap on thehead of the bottleand up out of the way to permit the removal of the bottle. An ordinaryfoot-machine is shown in Fig. 1, in which the operator by alternatelybearing down on and releasing the pedal B gives the necessaryreciprocation to the arm O, which is connected to the head. Any suitablestand D is provided below and in line with the head for supporting thebottle. This is preferably adjustable, as shown, to permit of use withdifferent sizes of bottles. An arm E, fixed on the frame of the machine,serves to guide the head A in its movements. The operator presses downon the pedal B, which movement brings the head A down on the cap F andpresses it down on the bottle, producing the necessary crimping orindentation, as hereinafter explained. The cap F, as shown in Figs. 2and 3, has a preferably cylindrical flange and after the operation iscrimped or indented at its lower edge, as shown in Fig. 4. The head A ofthe machine is, in fact, the operating member, the downward movement ofwhich first subjects the cap to the necessary pressure and then operatesthe crimping members to crimp the edge of the cap under the shoulder ofthe head of the bottle. The downward pressure on the cap is preferablyobtained by means of a plunger G, which is arranged to have a slightreciprocating movement within the operating member A, the upwardmovement being against the pressure of a spring H. The spring H ispreferably held by means of a cap J, screwing into the upper end of thetubular operating member A. An annular shoulder I may be providedsurrounding the operating member A and transmitting the movement of thearm C to the operating member, the arm C being held by the shoulder Iand the cap J, as illustrated. The plunger G has at its lower end a headK, which receives the pressure of the spring: H, preferably by theintermediation of certain parts, which I will now describe. The head Kmay be provided with an annular groove, as shown at L, Fig. 3, or may beplane, as shown in Fig. 2. Jaws, as M or M, are supported upon the headK by oflset portions N and are provided outside of their points ofsupport with upwardly projecting points 0. The upwardly-projectingpoints are pressed down by a flanged tubular member P, which at itsupper end is engaged by a ring ,Q, which takes the direct downwardthrust of the spring, and thus transmits it to the head K, presseddownward upon the cap, and to the jaws M to press their projectingpoints R yieldingly inward against the flange of the cap with a slightpressure, so as to hold the same in place, the pressure depending uponthe leverage due to the distance between the parts N and O. The pressureof the spring H upon the head K is adjustable by turning a nut S on theupper end of the plunger G, so as to pull the plunger up against thepressure of the spring. At the first movement of the operating member Adown upon the cap the points R of the jaws are forced slightly outwardby the cap against the pressure of the spring H, which tends to holdthem pressed inward. The continued movement brings the head K down uponthe top of the cap with a very heavy pressure, also increasing to someextent the pressure of the points R against the flange of the cap. Thecap may be first placed on the bottle or may be first introduced intothe machine-head and then brought down upon the bottle. For producingthe desired indentation of the flange of the cap while it is held downunder pressure I provide the jaws with an outward-inclined face, asshown, and I provide a ring T on the lower end of the operating memberA, having a conical interior face, so that during the final movement ofthe operating member A the interior conical face of the member T engagesthe outer inclined face of the aws M and positively forces the points Rinward against the flange of the bottle, so as to crimp it. The pressureto which the jaws are subjected in an inward direction might break thehead of the bottle if it should be brought to bear against it, and it isnecessary, therefore, to insure that the points or other movable partsof the jaws M shall bear against the flange of the cap only at the lowerpoints of the flange, where there is a groove in the bottle. For thispurpose the head K of the plunger may be made of larger diameter thanthe cap F, so as to positively prevent any part of the jaw above thepoint R coming against the flange of the cap, as shown in Fig. 2, or, asshown in Fig. 3, each of the aws M may be deeply recessed immediatelyabove the point R, so as to avoid any possible contact with the upperpart of the flange of the cap. These features of my invention are veryvaluable in saving a considerable breakage of bottles, which is due to alarge extent to the irregular thickness and diameter of the heads of thebottles. When the pedal B is released, the operating member is lifted bythe spring shown in Fig. 1. The-first movement releases the inclinedfaces of the jaws from contact with the inner conical face of the ringT, the jaws remaining in place by the pressure of the spring H on theupwardlyprojecting points 0. The continued movement lifts the jawsupward, the spring H permitting a suflicient outward movement of the awsfor this purpose and the aws being forced outward by the configurationof the indented flange.

It is to be understood that the construction shown in detail in thesefigures as embodying my invention may be widely departed from withoutdeparting from the actual invention. For example, for use in apower-machine I propose to modify the arrangement of the parts in themanner shown in Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive. This apparatus is hereillustrated to show the use of my invention in a power-machine, though Ido not in this application claim the features specific to such machine;but I am not to be understood as waiving my right to claim the same in aseparate application. The. details of the rotary power-machine hereshown are not es sential to the invention, since they may be modified ina variety of ways known to those skilled in this and allied arts. Forthe purpose of showing the application of my invention to a machine ofthis sort, however, I have chosen the particular type herein described.In Fig. 5 a table U is rotated by means of a pinion V, driven from ashaft X, having the usual friction-clutch Y and connections for drivingit from any suitable source of power. With the table U rotates also acentral shaft Z, which is supported upon a ball-bearing at its upper endfrom a plate a, carried at the top of the fixed supporting-frame. Theshaft Z carries a pair of rings 1) and c, which serve as guides andsupports for the operating members A of the several sealing mechanisms.The vertical movement of the operating members A is obtained from aseries of cams d on the under side of the stationary plate a as theoperatthat shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

ing members are rotated. The plate a is clampedas, for example, by boltseupon the upright membersf of the main frame, be ing first adjusted toany suitable position by means of screw-threaded adjusting-rods g, whichscrew through a portion of the plate a and which are turned in onedirection or the other by any suitable means, as by the gearing h attheir lower ends, connecting them to the main shaft X. The lever throwsthe shaft X in one direction or the other to secure the movement of theadjusting-rods gin the desired direction. In connection with mechanismfor this purposethat is, for sealing bottles, which of course varyconsiderably in height-this feature of adjustability of the top plate ais of considerable importance.

The details of construction whereby the movement of operating means A isutilized to produce first the necessary pressure and then the necessarycrimping action may be, as stated before, considerably difierent from InFigs. 6,7, and 8 the crimping members instead of being in the form ofpivoted jaws are in the form of pins 76, which are carried in adepending flange Z from the head K of the plunger G. The flange Zis atall points outside of the cap, and the pins 76 press against the caponly at points below the shoulder on the head of the bottle, so thatwith this construction any pressure against the sides of the head of thebottle is avoided and the danger of breakage from irregular-shaped headsis minimized. The operating member A in this construction is a tubularreciprocating member, the same as in the constructions previouslydescribed. A ring T is carried at the lower end of the member A and hasan inner conical face which when the operating member is presseddownward bears against the heads of the pins 7: and forces them inwardto form the necessary indentations or crimps. The downward movement ofthe operating member A is transmitted to the plunger G by theintermediation of a spring H, having the same function as the spring Hin Fig. 2. The spring H bears at its lower end on a collar surroundingthe plunger G and at its upper end against a diaphragm m in the tubularoperating member. As the operating member is pressed downward,therefore, the movement is transmitted through the spring H to press thehead K down on the cap with considerable force and then while the cap isso pressed down the pins 7c are positively forced inward to crimp theflange of the cap. For the reverse operation the operating member isprovided with a means for positively engaging the plunger G to lift itafter the operating member has first made a movement sufficient topermit the pins 7c to move outward and release the cap. A suitable meansconsists of a slot n in the lower end of the plunger G, which is engagedby a screw or other projection p, projecting inward from a guide-ring gin the lower end of the operating member. As the operating member movesupward from the position of Fig. 6, it first relieves the pressure onthe heads of the pins it, as shown in Fig. 7, the screw p moving up tothe top of the slot n at the same time. The further upward movement ofthe operating member A lifts the plunger and the head K from the cap,the pins 7c moving outward to permit such upward movement of the head K.(See Fig. '8.) The desired downwardmovement of the operating member A isobtained from a plunger 1", which is guided in the upper tubular end ofthe member A and which carries at its upper end in a suitable bearing aroller 8, which as the guiding supporting-rings b and c are revolvedrides over the under face of the cams d, and thereby presses theoperating member A downward, a cushioning-spring t being preferablyinterposed to relieve the suddenness' of the movement and toprovideduring the first downward movement of the plunger 1" the yieldingpressure of the crimping members against the flange of the cap, which isan important feature of my invention. To prevent the plunger 1, and withit the roller 8, from turning on the vertical axis, I preferably use apin it, fixed in the ring I), upon which an arm of the roller-bearing isguided vertically. When the roller 8 passes beyond the lowest point ofthe cam d, the operating member A is returned to its uppermost po sitionby means of a spring 1;, bearing against a collar w on the operatingmember.

The machine shown in Fig. 5 is arranged to receive twelve bottles, (theone in the rear being omitted for the sake of clearness,) and has fourcams d, the proportions of the parts being such that the bottles aredivided into groups of three, of which, at the instant illustrated, onebottle is being sealed, the next has been sealed and is ready to beremoved, and the third has received its cap and is in position ready tobe sealed. The feeding of the bottles to the machine and the removing ofthem may be accomplished by hand or by any other suitable means. Thenumber of operators will depend upon the number of bottles which themachine handles and the rapidity of operation and may be either more orless than that shown.

Though I have described with great par-- ticularity of detail variousembodiments of my invention, yet it is to be understood that myinvention is not limited to any one or all of the embodiments described.Various modifications thereof in the details, arrangement, andcombination of parts are possible to those skilled in the art withoutdeparture from the invention. For example, a spring may be used forautomatically spreading the crimping members outward from engagementwith the cap. Thus in Fig. 9 the crimpingjaws in the inoperativeposition of the machine are held apart bya series of springs y, suported upon the plunger-head and normal y pressing outward, but yieldingwhen the plunger is pressed downward on the cap. The other elements tobe used with this construction are the same as those shown in Fig. 2.When the jaws are compressed by the downward movement of the ring T, thesprings y yield to permit the necessary movement. When the ring T movesupward again and the bottle is withdrawn, the springs y assist infreeing the aws from the cap.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a bottle-sealing apparatus, thecombination of a plunger, means for holding the same pressed down on acap on the head of a bottle, a series of crimping members, means forpressing said crimping members yield- 7 ingly inward against a flange onsuch cap to hold it in place, and means for positively forcing saidcrimping members inward to crimp such flange while said plunger is sopressed down.

2. In a bottle-sealing apparatus, the combination of a plunger having ahead adapted to bear on a cap on the head of a bottle, a series of jawssupported on said plunger-head, means for yieldingly pressing down saidaws and through them said plunger-head so that said jaws pressyieldingly inward against a flange of such cap to hold it in place, andmeans for positively forcing said jaws inward to crimp such flange whilesaid plunger-head is so pressed down.

3. In a bottle-sealing apparatus, the combination of a plunger having ahead adapted to bear on a cap on the head of a bottle, a series of jawssupported on said plunger-head in position to surround a flange of suchcap,

a spring operating on the tops of said jaws and through them on the topof said plungerhead, and a movable operating member arranged to compresssaid spring at its first movement whereby to hold said jaws yieldinglyinward against a flange of such cap to hold it in place, and topositively force said jaws inward during its continued movement, wherebyto crimp said flange.

4. In a bottle-sealing apparatus, the combination of a plunger having ahead adapted to bear on a cap on the head of a bottle, a series of jawssupported on said plunger-head in position to surround a flange of suchcap, a spring operating on the tops of said jaws and through them on thetop of said plungerhead, and a movable operating member arranged tocompress said spring at its first movement whereby to hold said jawsyieldingly inward against a flange of such cap to hold it in place, saidoperating member and jaws carrying cooperating inclined faces wherebyduring the continued movement of said operating member said jaws areforced positively inward to crimp said flange.

5. In a bottle-sealing apparatus, the com' bination of a plunger adaptedto bear on a cap on the head of a bottle and having on its lower part ahead or enlargement, crimping jaws loosely mounted upon said head andhaving portions projecting outside of said head, and means engaging saidprojecting portions and adapted to press downward thereon to press thelower parts of said crimping-jaws inward.

6. In a bottle-sealing apparatus, the combination of a plunger adaptedto bear on a cap on the head of a bottle and having on its lower part ahead or enlargement, crimpingjaws loosely mounted upon said head andhaving portions projecting outside of said head and upward, and meansengaging said projecting portions and adapted to 'ress downwardly with ayielding pressure t ereon to press the lower parts of said crimping jawsinward and to simultaneously press said plunger yieldingly downward.

7. In a bottle-sealing apparatus, the combination of a plunger adaptedto bear on a cap on the head of a bottle and having on its lower part ahead or enlargement, crimpingjaws loosely mounted upon said head andhaving ortions projecting outside of said head and upward, a sleeveengaging said projecting portions and adapted to press downwardlythereupon to press the lower parts of said crimping-jaws inward and tosimultaneously press said plunger yieldingly downward, a spring bearingupon said sleeve, and an operating member bearing upon said spring.

8. In a bottle-sealing apparatus, the combination of an operatingmember, a plunger arranged to reciprocate therein, a head on the lowerend of said plunger, a spring arranged to be pressed downward by saidoperating member, a sleeve surrounding said plunger and between saidspring and saidhead to transmit the pressure of said spring to saidhead, crimping members supported on said head, and means for positivelyforcing said crimping members inward.

9. In a bottle-sealing apparatus, the com bination of an operatingmember, a plunger arranged to reci rocate therein, a head on the lowerend 0 said plunger, a spring ar ranged to be pressed downward by saidoperating member, a sleeve and a ring Q surrounding said plunger andbetween said spring and said head to transmit the pressure of saidspring to said head, crimping members supported on said head, and meansfor positively forcing said crimping members inward.

10. In a bottle-sealing apparatus, com prising a plunger, a series ofcrimping mem-' bers associated therewith and means for first yieldinglypressing the crimping members inwardly and then positively pressing themin, to effect the crimping, substantially as described.

11. A bottle-sealing apparatus, comprising a plunger to rest on the caponthe bottle, a series of crimping members supported thereby, and meansfor first yieldingly pressing the crimping members inwardly and thenpressing them positively inwardly to eiIect the crimping, said meansincluding a mem'- ber having a conical surface to operate the crimpingmembers, substantially as described.

12. In combination, in a bottle-sealing apparatus, a plunger, a seriesof crimping members associated therewith, a s ring subjecting the saidplunger to a yie ding pressure and an operating member inclosing saidplunger and having its lower end provided with a conical interior tooperate the said GEORGE H. GILLETTE.

WVitnesses DOMINGO A. USINA, FRED WHITE.

